Work on the Cathedral began in 1396 and finished toward the end of the 18th century, about 400 years. In order to build the cathedral the existing church of Santa Maria Maggiore had to be demolished. The main entrance has very rich decoration and is quite stunning. For some reason The "door of the frog" on the left hand side of the Cathedral has become a matter of folklore, perhaps because the sculpture of the frog was mutilated by vandals and that all that is left is a stump.
The interior is large and imposing with 3 aisles and 10 pillars with arches of various widths. The stained glass windows are truly glorious, painted in vivid colors. The art work is dazzling from the 9 tapestries of the late 16th century to the gilded wood sculptures; it's a Cathedral not to be missed.

Erected in the 11th century, on the same spot where the early Christian church of Saints Peter and Paul once stood, the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio is a building with a nave and four aisles, an elongated choir and two bell towers. Having been modified and restored very often, its typical Como style modules are blended with examples of foreign intervention, e.g. Norman, Burgundian and German. Its severe and unadorned façade contains robust pilaster strips resting on four columns, which previously belonged to the arcades built on two storeys, between the 12th and the 14th centuries, and, afterwards, eliminated. The two bell towers reveal a structure of Norman origin and owe their light appearance to the mullioned windows with one or three lights. The apse is remarkable in its semicylindrical form, with geometrical and floral decorations and arch crowned columns. The interior features the narthex, supported by pillars; imposing hewn stone columns with cubic capitals (central nave) and monolitic capitals (side aisles); a trussed roof and paintings by Cerano and the Recchis. The frescoes of the apse are a significant example of the blending of local and Tuscan motifs.

Piazza San Fedele is at the exact center of the old town. In Roman times it was the marketplace and at the end of the 19th Century, it was the grain market. Nowadays a flea market takes place here on Saturdays. Even though it has been restored on numerous occasions the Basilica of St. Fedele, perhaps the first Cathedral in Como, still conserves its ancient charm. The main entrance opens to the central nave to the right and left of which are two smaller lateral naves with women's galleries. The baptistery has frescoes of Giovanni Andrea De Magistris from 1504 and paintings by Carlo Carloni depicting the Mystery of the Passion. Opposite the square is the ancient baptistery of St. Giovanni in Atrio which is enclosed in a group of medieval houses.

The church (14th century), is the only example of ogival Cistercian church in Como. After having been enlarged and embellished in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was modified in 1.773 and restored completely in 1.957. The spired facade contans a rosette, the portal and several windows; in the lunette, you can see a fresco made in the 16th century. Its interior features a nave and two aisles, a triumphal arch preceeding the presbitery, characterized by wooden beams covering the central nave and ribbed vaults above the lateral aisles.
Painting by Recchis, D. Crespi and Morazzone can be seen together with frescoes of the 14th and 15th centuries. In the adjacent cloister there is a 15th century fresco.

Erected in 1.215, flanked by the Civic Tower which was rebuilt in rusticated stone in 1.927, this building has a Gothic façade made in polychrome marble and dating from the 15th century, when its southern side was destroyed to make room for the Cathedral, which was then being enlarged. Originally intended as the headquarters of the local council, it was subsequently used as a theatre, a record office and, lastly, as an exhibition hall.

The name Villa Olmo is derived from a magnificent hundred-year-old elm that no longer exists. It was built in the neoclassical style by Marquis Innocenzo Odescalchi whose family also produced Pope Innocent XI (1676-1689).
The construction of the Villa started in 1782 and finished in 1797. The director of the construction was Simone Cantoni, an eminent architect from Ticino who elaborated on the original project drafted by Innocenzo Ragazzoni also from Ticino. Cantoni collaborated with Domenico, Carlo, Luca and Giuseppe Pozzi and the sculptor Francesco Carabelli. A series of historical visits began soon after construction ended. Amongst the illustrious guests, of special note are the visits of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797 and Ugo Foscolo in 1809.
Upon the death of Innocenzo Odescalchi in 1824, the villa passed to the Raimondi family who took it upon themselves to put the large piazza opposite the villa in order. Once again the villa was witness to historical visits and meetings; in 1835, the Queen of the Two Sicilies and the Queen of Sardinia were guests of the Raimondis. In 1883, the heirs of Marquis Raimondi sold the villa to Duke Guido Visconti di Modrone who decided to carry out a programme of restoration and improvement which would include the interior of the building. In 1924, the villa passed from the Visconti di Modrone to the city of Como. Thus began the fourth period in its history under the banner of Art and Science. On the centenary of Alessandro Volta's death in 1927, the villa hosted numerous local events, congresses, conventions, symposia and shows. Since 1982 it has been the home of the "Alessandro Volta" Centre of Scientific Culture and hosts its international events.

This neoclassic temple was built in 1927 thanks to the generosity of the Como industrialist F. Somaini. It was designed by the architect Federico Frigerio to celebrate the first centennial of Alessandro Volta's death. Relics, documents and paintings regarding the great physicist are exhibited here.

Designed by Giuseppe Terragni, it was built in 1.936 and named "Casa del Fascio" (The Fascist Party House). It is considered the clearest example of pure rationalist architecture, in which function is highlighted by simplicity and linearity.
"The landmark of modern European architecture. This building describes the creative spirit of Terragni within the context of the rationalist vocabulary. It is an early testament of style, which might explain why, fifty years later, it is the object of passionate studies. It is a perfect prism with the side 33.20 meters long and 16.60 meters high. It represents a starting point of such rigidity as to encourage a struggle against any classicist potential. The square and the prism are in fact the basic principles of the purism of Le Corbusier. In the building it is these principles that are being questioned because the main volume is not on 'pilotis' and the facades are not free from the structural framework, in fact, they are involved with it, so as to achieve a layered depth. The pulling back of the entrance and breaking up of the top make certain that the building attains a transparency....The human scale and the horizontal prevail."